FALL 2020 DESIGNMATTERS COURSE OFFERINGS
Walls: Public Art and Culture
Course #: ART-317
Partner: Indonesian Consulate
Co-Hosted by: Designmatters Fine Art and Illustration
Fall 2020 – Online 100% Remote
Day & Time: Tuesdays 2pm to 6:50pm
Faculty: Amir Nikravan, Ranee Henderson and zine workshop with Esther Pearl Watson
Open to all-majors, 5th term and above
This course can be counted as a Designmatters TDS for Designmatters Minors.
In this 7-week studio, students will work with the Indonesian Consulate, Indonesian community groups, artists and designers to research and understand the history of Indonesia and Indonesians living in Los Angeles. Students will generate concepts for murals for the Indonesian Consulate center in Los Angeles that celebrate and reflect the diversity of Indonesia and Indonesians in Los Angeles. The Indonesian Consulate will select and fund the implementation of one or more student concepts.
SINC: Symbiosis In Nature & Community
Course #: TDS-307D
Sponsor: J. Craig Venter Institute
Co-Hosted by: Designmatters and Illustration
Fall 2020 – Online 100% Remote
Day & Time: Wednesdays 8am to 12:50pm
Faculty: Esther Pearl Watson & Eric Nyquist
Open to all-majors, 5th term and above, by application.
This course can be counted as a Designmatters TDS for Designmatters Minors.
Symbiosis is the interaction between 2 or more organisms that results in benefits for both or all parties, respectively. Symbiotic interactions are ubiquitous throughout nature and provide natural design principles for engineering. Many of these involve microbes partnering with animals or plants in visually arresting and molecularly complex fashions. The concepts of symbiosis extend to societal organization; physical distancing and mask wearing during a viral pandemic is a clear example of symbiosis. In this studio, students will work with scientists from the J. Craig Venter Institute to explore, understand and translate scientific research on symbiosis into compelling visuals to communicate scientific research to a broad range of audiences. This studio will also include multiple class visits and Sketchnote Workshops with cartoonist Steven Weissman!
STRONG APART: Humane + Connected Aging
Course #: TDS-307E
Co-Hosted by: Environmental Design and Designmatters
Fall 2020 – Online 100% Remote
Day & Time: Monday, 2:00-6:00pm (PST) Thursday, 4:00-6:00pm (PST)
Faculty: Sherry Hoffman and Penny Herscovitch
*Open to all-majors, 5th term and above, by application.
This course can be counted as a Designmatters TDS for Designmatters Minors. Or, as a TDS, Topic Studio, or Studio Elective for ENV Majors
How might we use a co-creative approach to design spatial experiences that offer emotional, mental and physical support and care for older adults who are facing isolation due to the current global crisis?
Opportunity for Design to Make an Impact: Social Inclusion With 13.5 million+ people worldwide infected with the virus, this pandemic has thrown a spotlight on the psychosocial challenges and inequities faced by older people who are ethnic minorities, ill, in nursing homes, palliative or hospice care systems, homebound and experiencing isolation. How might we as designers respond to this global challenge?
Co-Design Approach: Rooted in Empathy You will test your assumptions of the elderly and define your own area of opportunity to make an impact through empathy-based design. Co-create with audiences globally across a wide spectrum of perspectives: elders living alone and in institutional housing, with caretakers and families. Engage in discussions and workshops with interdisciplinary guests such as healthcare providers and practitioners, policy makers, designers and activists. Apply your first-hand experience.
KIDMANIA: Beyond Books! Designing Digital and Physical Spaces for Teens
Course # TDS-386-01
Knowledge Partner: Los Angeles Public Library
Co-Hosted by: Designmatters and Product Design
Fall 2020 – Online 100% Remote
Day & Time: Thursday, 8am-12:50pm (PST)
Faculty: Krystina Castella (Author of Designing for Kids)
Open to all-majors, 5th term and above
This course can be counted as a Designmatters TDS for Designmatters Minors.
When it comes to Play + Learning, Teens are in a category all their own. How do libraries design programming for Teens that allow for social connection, engagement, participation, ownership and play (yes, play!). What is the role of the library in teens lives and communities for learning and preparing them for their futures? And how does programming and media represent the needs of teens supported by spaces to be themselves, both online and in physical locations?
In this studio, students will work with librarians, development experts, and educators from the Los Angeles Public Library, that will help students explore how to design experiences, programs and spaces to meet the unique needs of teenagers in today’s online world and tomorrow’s post-pandemic future.
